Super Resolution Imaging

Super resolution imaging (sometimes called optical nanoscopy) is a term covering a variety of light microscopy techniques that enable imaging below the diffraction limit. We have a Nikon system which combines two different methods: Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM) and Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM). SIM is compatible with many commonly used fluorescent dyes and fluorescent proteins, but 'only' offers twice the resolution acheivable with standard fluorescence microscopy. STORM requires the use of specifc fluorophores and a special imaging buffer, but can achieve an order of magnitude enhancement in the resolution over standard fluorescence microscopy. Both methods have their strengths and weaknesses, but having the two options available means we can apply the best approach to a specific problem, or combine the techniques for a complimentary approach.